Chapter 12: The South Rim
The following morning, after breakfast, they set out on the relatively long drive to the South rim of the canyon. An early lunch stop was made at the Glen Canyon dam, where there is a large hydroelectric power station. Cassie wondered at the force with which the water was emerging from the outlets.
"The Grand Canyon is between two large artificial lakes." observed Sid, "This one is Lake Powell. If we were going to Vegas, we'd have seen the other one, Lake Mead."
"Hasn't anyone thought of making the Grand Canyon itself into a reservoir?" asked Cassie.
"Somebody might have thought about that, but it is a UNESCO World Heritage site," said David, "To say nothing of the loss of tourism to Arizona, if the canyon was just a big lake."
"It would provide plenty of energy from renewable sources though." said Sid.
"I think Lakes Powell, Mead and Havasu provide plenty of that," said David, "Without drowning one of the world's most spectacular places."
Once they had consumed lunch, and spent the best part of an hour in the Glen Canyon visitor center, it was time to move on. As they joined the road along the South rim of the Grand Canyon, David switched on the car radio, and by chance, found a Flagstaff based classical music station. The presenter announced the next piece of music: the 'Grand Canyon Suite' by Ferde Grofé.
"How appropriate!" said Caroline, "Exactly the right piece of music."
Especially appreciated were the 'On the Trail' and 'Cloudburst' movements depicting the donkey ride and the storm. The latter truly reflected the ferocity of the thundershower they had experienced on the North rim on the previous day. There was still plenty of daylight when they reached Grand Canyon Village and checked in to their hotel for three nights. This meant that they could visit some of the South Rim viewpoints before dinner, and see the sunset afterwards.
When the group returned to the visitor center, they booked a forty-five-minute helicopter flight over the canyon for the next day. They also picked up some information about the Barringer Crater they were to visit while they were in Flagstaff. After a well anticipated dinner, they settled in a bar for a couple of hours, before going outside to look at the Northern stars from a viewpoint on the edge of the Canyon.
"The Plough must disappear completely later in the year." said David, "It's already quite low."
"Perhaps that's why the Americans call it 'The Big Dipper'." said Cassie, "It 'dips' in the Winter."
"That's quite a witty one from you." said Sid.
They spent some time discussing the stars visible from various latitudes for a while. Sid mentioned that he thought the ancient Greeks believed the Earth was a sphere, because the night sky looked different from the Southern parts of their known world. After a while, Cassie was feeling the cold, as the temperature was falling fast.
"Let's go somewhere warmer." she said, "I don't know about you three, but I'm feeling the night chill."
"Okay!" said David, "Time for one more before we turn in."
"That's a good idea." said Sid, "Look upon it as a kind of Nightcap."
They returned to the bar, and David ordered a round of drinks.
"Let's hope the weather stays calm for the next couple of days." said David, "We'll need good visibility tomorrow for our flight over the Canyon."
"And the crater will look better in sunshine." remarked Sid, "If we have something like yesterday's storm, we won't even be able to see across it."
"That's a point." said Caroline.
Once they had finished their drinks, all four headed for their bedrooms. As Sid and Cassie were preparing for the night, Sid felt he had to comment on something he had sensed about Cassie's demeanour.
"Sweet Cass," said Sid, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but there seems to be a weariness about you the last couple of weeks. It's worrying me. What's the matter? You know you can tell me."
"It's nothing." said Cassie, "I'm just wondering where we're going."
"We're going to Phoenix," said Sid, "Then we'll head for the West Coast; either Los Angeles or San Diego."
"I didn't mean it that way." said Cassie, "I meant that I was wondering where our relationship was going. Have we a future as a couple, for instance?"
"Of course we have." said Sid, in an attempt at reassurance, "I couldn't envisage a future without you somewhere in it. We're part of each other. I don't think we could last long apart; either of us."
"Anyway, my dear Sidney," said Cassie, "Don't worry about it. I was just letting my thoughts run away with me. Let's go to bed. I want to feel your warmth under the covers."
Discussions about their future gave any to the pleasure of enjoying their intimate presence with each other in the American size bed. They slept in the loving warmth of each other's gentle arms till dawn. At eight o'clock, as they were preparing for their first whole day at the Grand Canyon, there came a knock on the door. David and Caroline were already up and about, and hungry for their breakfast.
"Good morning," said David, as Cassie opened the door, "Are you two ready?"
"As we'll ever be." said Sid from within the bedroom, "What time is our flight?"
"We're to be at the heliport at half past nine." said David, "I guess you're excited."
"I certainly am." said Cassie, "How's Caroline? She seemed a bit worried on the walkway last night."
"I'm not worried about the helicopter." said Caroline, "Last night, it was looking straight down over that cliff that worried me."
All four made their way to their breakfast, and consumed similar meals to what they had enjoyed at the North rim the previous morning, except that Sid had bacon and onions with his omelette. After some wake-up coffee, they drove to the heliport and waited for their flight to be called. At about a quarter past nine, a Bell helicopter landed and the flight was announced over the PA system. They went out and boarded the helicopter. Once they had been allocated seats, strapped themselves in and donned the headphones, the craft took off.
As they took off, the pilot announced that he was no longer allowed to fly below the canyon rim, following a problem many years ago. However, there was a lot visible from the helicopter, which couldn't be seen from the ground. He showed them the main features of the canyon, describing the ages of the rocks visible at various levels on the canyon walls. He also outlined the history and some of the mythology of the local native Americans, the Hopi. When he had done this, he flew upstream, and spent some time circling over the mouth of a spring on the canyon floor, banking this way and that, so that all passengers could get a good view of it. He said it was where the Hopi believed that they emerged from the depths of the Earth. As he flew away from the spring, he mentioned, in passing, that anyone who looked down the spring had a curse laid on them.
"That's not very reassuring." said Caroline.
"Well," said Sid, "The pilot seems okay, and he must have looked down it hundreds of times."
Shortly after eleven o'clock, the craft returned to the heliport, and the four travellers disembarked. They returned to the village, and spent the hour or so before lunch exploring the visitor Center and the immediately accessible parts of the rim, including the place where they had watched the stars on the previous evening. It was plain that they had Made the right decision to take the helicopter flight in the morning, as clouds were developing and it looked as if rain might be imminent.
Having had substantial American breakfasts, the two couples opted for salads for lunch, but none of the four could resist the temptation to have apple pie as a dessert. By the time they emerged from the diner, rain was falling steadily, and the sky was completely overcast.
"I thought this place was in the middle of a desert." said Cassie, "Why is it raining?"
"I guess that's the Hopi curse from the spring." said Sid, half joking, "Still, it shouldn't last long. It doesn't rain all that much here."
They returned to the visitor Center, and obtained a weather forecast for that afternoon and the next two days. The rain was expected to clear about mid-afternoon, and the following two or three days should be clear and bright. The two couples found somewhere to relax over cups of coffee, and planned what they were going to do later that afternoon and the following day.
"I think we've seen most of what there is to see from this part of the rim." said David, "We drove through the Painted Desert and along Desert View Road yesterday, so I suggest we go to Grand Canyon West and try the skywalk. We'll have to book in advance, so I'll do it now if that's okay with you."
"We're in favour." said Sid and Cassie together, "It sounds an interesting experience."
"What's the skywalk?" asked Caroline.
"It's a horseshoe shaped 'bridge' cantilevered out over the canyon," said David, "So you can view it from a point away from the cliff. Apparently, you look four thousand feet straight down."
"I'm not so sure," said Caroline, "But I guess I'm outvoted."
"That's settled then," said David, "I'll make the booking. In any case, there are a few other things to see there, including Native American cultural shows and the history of the other tribes besides the Hopi."
"It should make for an interesting day." said Sid.
David produced his mobile phone and made a booking for four people at Grand Canyon West for the following day. By the time they had finished their coffees the rain had cleared, and the sun was shining again. They took advantage of this by spending the rest of the afternoon at the Hermit's Rest viewpoint, which is accessible from the village. This gave them another perspective on the part of the canyon visible from the village. By the time the two couples returned to the main village complex, it was nearly time for dinner, but there was time for a coffee beforehand. They had used a shuttle bus to get to Hermit's Rest and back.
After dinner, since there were assorted clouds in the sky, the wandered out to a point on the rim where they could watch the sunset. It didn't disappoint. Cassie thought the colours in the sky were more brilliant than any she'd seen in England, but she seemed sad when it was over.
"What's the matter, Cass?" asked the ever-solicitous Sid, "Why the tears?"
"Sunsets are beautiful," said Cassie, "But they always mark the end of something, and I find that sad; all that beauty fading away to gloom and darkness."
"Cheer up," said Sid, "There's always tomorrow."
"Is there?" said Cassie, sadly.
"That's a miserable comment." said Sid, "I suggest we go inside and find some light. I believe there is a country band playing in one of the bars."
With this, the four people went into a bar where they could hear music playing. Sid ordered a round of drinks, and they settled down to enjoying the music for the rest of the evening. When Sid and Cassie reached their bedroom, Sid showed some concern.
"What came over you earlier?" he asked, "The sunset doesn't usually have that effect on you."
"I don't really know." said Cassie, "I just had a little wave of depression wash over me. It'll pass. Incidentally, the Country and Western music didn't help my mood. Most of the songs were about couples breaking up."
"That, I'm sorry to say," said Sid, "Is a recurring feature of that genre of music. Don't forget that some of ABBA's best songs were about the ending of relationships. Don't forget 'Knowing Me Knowing You' and 'The Winner Takes All'.
"I suppose so." said Cassie, with some resignation, "Let's look for sleep."
Sid and Cassie, took to their bed and spent the night in each other's warm embraces.
They were up early the next morning, as the return journey to Grand Canyon West is quite long. David and Caroline were also up and about by seven o'clock in the morning. Both couples had a relatively quick breakfast and set out for their destination. Cassie had recovered from her bout of depression, but Caroline looked worried. Once they had reached Grand Canyon West, the first thing they headed for was the skywalk. David had to hold Caroline's hand to reassure her that it was perfectly safe.
"When we get on to the skywalk," said David, "Don't look at your feet. Look over the rail. Try to forget that you're walking on a sheet of glass. It is transparent, but it's really thick. It'll support many times your weight."
"I suppose so." said Caroline, "It wouldn't have been opened if it wasn't safe."
They all filed out onto the skywalk. Despite David's advice, Caroline did look straight down through the glass floor, and surprisingly, enjoyed the feeling of apparently floating in space while standing on something solid, but invisible. They spent some time on the skywalk, appreciating the views both straight down through the glass and across the canyon. After this they went to the Visitor Center and noted what else there was to see at this part of the canyon rim. By now, it was lunchtime. They finalised their plans for the afternoon over lunch.
The highlight of the afternoon was a Native American cultural show. After this they visited the Hualapai village and the exhibits depicting the lives of the original inhabitants of this part of Arizona, including the Plains Hopi, the Hualapai, and the Havasupai tribes.
They returned to the South Rim village in time for dinner and another spectacular and colourful sunset. Fortunately, there wasn't a repeat of Cassie's bout of depression, and she appeared to enjoy the coming of the night. This was probably because Sid was holding her while she watched.
Once the sun had gone down, and the colours had faded to grey, both couples went in to the bar to discuss final arrangements for their next move.
"Where shall we go first?" asked David, "The observatory, or the crater."
"That depends on where we get beds for the two nights." said Sid, "If we're near the observatory, we'll go there tomorrow afternoon, otherwise, we go to the crater. The weather should be pleasant for the next two days, so either option is okay by me."
Since their exact plans could not be finalised until they knew where they were going to lay their heads, they spent the rest of the evening in fairly inconsequential chat, mainly about their experiences around the Grand Canyon. The main surprise was Caroline actually enjoying the skywalk. She usually opted out from such activities. They went to their rooms comparatively early, as they were beginning to feel sleepy after their day of fresh Arizona air.
"Sid," said Cassie as they entered the bedroom, "What do you think you would have been doing now if you hadn't come to New York to look for me?"
"I don't really know." said Sid, "I guess I'd probably be living with my mum and looking for a job."
"And desperately looking for someone to take my place?" suggested Cassie.
"I don't know about that." said Sid, "I don't think anyone could replace you in my life. You're too special."
"I'm not all that special, Sid." said Cassie, "I'm just an ordinary girl with a barrow load of problems."
"Most of which we've overcome, just by being a couple." said Sid, "Anyway, why this line of questioning. You seem to be having doubts about the future of our relationship. You're worrying me."
"I just got to thinking, while we were watching the sunset two nights ago." said Cassie, "I was thinking what might have happened to me if you hadn't shown up in 'my' diner that evening."
"You are having dark thoughts for a bright part of America." said Sid, "I think we're both tired. Let's sleep. It's been a long day. We'll both feel happier for some rest."
"I suppose you're right." said Cassie, "I'm probably worrying my head over nothing. Let's go to bed."
With that, Sid and Cassie shared a much needed shower, and once again spent a comfortable night in each other's arms.